Valentines Day
by Tarts Wardrobe
Summary: It's Valentines Day in Odaiba. Multiple pairings; Michi, Sorato, Takari, One sided Joumi, Izzy and OC.
1. Prologue

**Valentines Day  
**_It's Valentines Day in Odaiba._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Digimon, nor do I own any clothing, food or store brands mentioned in this fic.  
I got the idea for this fic from the soon to be released movie _Valentines Day_.

* * *

Valentines Day. The fourteenth of February. The forty-fifth day of the year. It's either the most loved Holiday, or the most hated. It's one of the most popular days of the year to propose marriage. Statistics also show that it is a popular day for suicide attempts. A day invented to express your love for someone special, or to make single people feel like shit. A day for greeting card and chocolate companies to make a fortune. You turn on the radio, and all you hear is love songs. The damn day even has its own television specials.

It's a day about lovers, friends and family. It's a day about hand-holding, hugging, kissing and fucking. It's a day about candies, chocolates, fancy dinners, flowers, cards and jewellery.

It's a day about love.

And that's what this story is all about.


	2. Friday I'm in Love

**Friday I'm in Love**

* * *

Twenty-four year old Mimi Tachikawa woke up in her apartment alone that morning. The early February sun was dancing on the empty pillow that lay beside her. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the light, and rolled over to face where her lover once lay.

He wasn't there, and that kind of ticked her off. Though, in his place was a folded scrap of paper, and a single, pink Gerbera daisy, her favourite.

She grabbed the paper, and unfolded it, revealing a messy, cursive message. He was never really good at writing in cursive.

_Happy Valentines Day, beautiful!_

It made her smile to see he had dotted the I's with little hearts.

_I had to go and do a few things this morning.  
Follow the daisies, (I know they're your favourite) for a little surprise.  
I'll be home around one o'clock.  
I love you so much!  
xoxo  
Tai_

She folded the letter back up, and placed it on the night stand. She grabbed the daisy and got out of bed, slipping her feet into a pair of fluffy, pink slippers and putting on her pink, silk robe that hung over the corner of the beds headboard.

Right before the door sat another daisy, though this time it was a darker shade of pink. She picked it up, and continued walking down the hall, finding several more along the way.

The trail stopped at the small kitchen table, where a vase of daisies and a white glass platter sat, covered with a lid.

She smiled to herself, and removed the lid. A small gasp escaped her lips. On the platter was a stack of heart-shaped pancakes, with strawberries and whipped cream, a flute of champagne, and a small box of chocolate truffles.

What a romantic guy.

_"Being in love with you makes every morning worth getting up for."_

"Hurry up! It's coming on!" Kari Kamiya called aloud into her family apartment.

"Kari," her brother, Tai said, exiting their parents' bedroom, "I don't understand why every year you make me watch that stupid show!" He slipped something into his pocket.

The younger sibling furrowed her eyebrows together.

"_A Charlie Brown Valentine_ isn't stupid! It's a classic! You used to love it!"

"Yeah," Tai scoffed, "when I was like, seven."

"Well, I don't care! You're watching it! Now, sit your ass down!" She smiled sweetly. "Please?"

He rolled his eyes, but he took a seat next to his sister on the faded, leather couch.

"I always wanted Charlie Brown to slap Lucy. Why was she always such a bitch for?" He asked, pulling Kari's blanket over him.

His sister laughed.

"It's a children's show, Tai!"

They sat in silence for a few more minutes when the doorbell rang.

"Can one of you get that?" Mrs. Kamiya called from her bedroom.

"Please?"

"Yes mom." Tai called back.

"Kari, get the door."

"What? No! You get it!" She shot back, angrily.

"Kari, just get it."

"No, you!"

"No, YOU!"

_Ring._

"Please! One of you!" Mrs. Kamiya yelled again.

"Kari, there's a greater chance of it being for you, rather than me. I don't live at home with mommy and daddy anymore." He smirked smugly.

"Shut up!" She got off the couch, just as the doorbell rang again.

"Tai, Kari, PLEASE"

"I'm getting it, Mom!" Kari yelled. She reached the door, and unlocked it, hoping it would be someone for Tai just to prove him wrong. She swung open the door.

"Happy Valentines Day!" Her boyfriend, T.K Takaishi said, handing her a dozen red roses.

She beamed at him, and looked down at the bouquet.

"They're beautiful!" She said, "Thank you so much." She leaned forward, and kissed him gently on the mouth.

"Hey, T.K" Tai called from the couch.

T.K nodded, "Sup, Tai"

He turned back to Kari.

"So, do you want to go for a walk?"

She turned to look at her brother. He looked very interested in the show now.

"Tai, I'm going out with T.K, alright?"

He snapped his head away from the television set, and checked his watch.

"Yeah, I have some things I need to do." He got up off the couch, and walked towards them.

"I'll see you guys later, alright?"

They nodded and said their farewells. He called goodbye to his mother, and left.

_"True love can blind you but at the same time if you let it, it can also open your eyes."_

Sora Takenouchi-Ishida opened her closet, and pulled out her favourite dark, skinny jeans. She held them up to waist and looked in her full length mirror. Yes. They would do. She pulled them on, and buttoned them up. She grabbed her pale, pink cardigan off of a coat hanger and put it on over her lacy, white tank top.

Her husband and left super early this morning, to do God knows what. He refused to tell her. When she begged him to tell her, he smiled and shook his head.

She grabbed her car keys, from one of the hooks that hung near the front door, and left the house. Locking the door behind her, she started down the cobblestone path, and unlocked her silver Honda, and got inside. She turned on the radio, and just as she expected, a love song. She hummed along, as she began driving down the snowy streets of Odaiba. It was a beautiful, sunny day out. The way the blanket of snow glistened in the light was one of Sora's favourite things about the snow. The way it sparkled.

She pulled into an empty parking space in front of Starbucks, and immediately spotted Mimi through one of the windows. Her best friend also saw her, and began waving frantically. Sora laughed, and entered the shop.

"Hey, Mrs. Takenouchi-_Ishida_!" Mimi said, smiling. "I'm never going to get tired of that!"

Sora laughed, settling down into the comfortable arm chair opposite of Mimi.

"Mimi, we've been married for seven months now."

"Well, I don't care!" She handed Sora a white cup.

"A chai tea! You're favourite!" She said, taking a sip from her own white cup, which Sora presumed was Mimi's favourite (white chocolate mocha, with extra whipped cream).

"Thanks!" She accepted the cup, and took a sip. Mmm…

"Oh, and yeah!" Mimi grabbed a Starbucks bag off of the ground, and pulled out two small Starbucks boxes. "Look what they have! Especially for Valentines!" She sat one box in front of Sora, and one in front of her.

Sora took the lid off the box, revealing a beautiful, not to mention delicious looking pink cupcake, with tiny heart sprinkles.

"Aren't they so cute?" Mimi squealed, taking a bite of her own, allowing pink frosting to stick to her upper lip.

Sora laughed, taking a bite of her own cupcake.

"These are delicious!" She said.

"So… good!" Mimi agreed, her mouth full of cake.

"So what did the mister plan for you today?" Asked Mimi, setting down the empty cupcake wrapper onto the table.

"I don't know, yet! He left this morning after breakfast, and refused to tell me what he was planning. What about you and Tai?" She asked.

"Well, I really don't know." Mimi said, wiping icing off her mouth. "It's a surprise! But, this morning he did the cutest thing…" She began telling her best friend about the scavenger hunt she had woken up to.

"Aww!" Sora said, "You guys are so cute!"

"I know"

"_Money and power only last the hour, but friendship and love withstand the sky above."_

_

* * *

_**Valentines Day Soundtrack: **Friday I'm in Love (The Cure)


	3. Soco Amaretto Lime

**Soco Amaretto Lime**

* * *

He really was over her. One hundred percent completely and totally over her. Even if he wasn't, it didn't matter. She was head over heels in love with his best friend. They lived together for Gods sake. He couldn't do anything about that, even if he wanted to.

But, on this Valentines Day, he still felt obliged to leave a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates at her door, like he had done for the past several Valentines. She was the first girl he ever loved, and she was the first girl to break his heart.

As he walked down the busy streets of Odaiba, chocolate and flowers at hand, he reflected on that one, heartbreaking day.

**Eight Years Ago**

_He breathed in deeply, and extended his fist._

_Coward._

_He had always been cowardly, but this was ridiculous. He took another deep breath, and finally knocked on the door. His heart was racing. He wanted to run away, but it felt as though his feet were cemented to the ground. He drew a third deep breath, as the door before him swung open._

_"Hello, Joe! What can I do for you?" Mister Tachikawa asked, smiling brightly down at him. He was wearing a long red robe, and holding a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. The mug was decorated in hearts._

_"Hello, Mister Tachikawa. Is Mimi home?" He spoke exceptionally fast. He could feel himself perspiring._

_"You bet she is! Come on in!" He gestured for Joe to step inside, and walked off, presumably to retrieve his daughter._

_Moments later, Mimi bounced down the stairs, decked out in pink, heart-patterned pyjamas._

_"Good morning, Joe!" She said happily. "Happy Valentines Day!"_

_"Same to you." He said nervously._

_Awkward pause._

_He looked down at the gifts in his hands, than up at Mimi. She was smiling brightly._

_"I got these for you…" He handed her the bouquet of roses, and a box of chocolates._

_"Wow, thanks, Joe!" She smiled down at the gifts. "That was really thoughtful! But, you really shouldn't have!"_

_"It was no big deal, really"_

_She smiled, and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him for a hug. His body tensed up at her touch. He pulled away slightly, and looked her in the eyes. Her beautiful, cinnamon eyes met his gray ones, as he leaned in for a kiss._

_Their lips touched for a second, before she jumped back. Her eyes were wide, and filled with confusion._

_"Joe, I…"_

_"I like you, Mimi. I have for the longest time. I think you're beautiful and funny and, and…" Where on earth had he got this courage from?_

_"Joe," She whispered. "I'm sorry…"_

_"Huh?"_

_"I just, I just don't think of you in that way. I'm sorry…"_

**Present Day**

Even though it had happened eight years ago, his heart still stung at the memory. He got into the elevator, and pressed the button for the fifteenth floor, and waited for the doors to reopen.

He walked down the narrow corridor, and reached her door. He took a deep breath, and extended his fist.

Now what was he so scared of?

Another deep breath and he knocked on the door. He felt himself get that exact same nerve-racking feeling he had gotten all those years ago.

When no one answered the door, he sighed with relief.

Who knows? He may have tried kissing her again.

_"A heart breaking isn't always as loud as a bomb exploding... Sometimes it can be as quiet as a feather falling... And the most painful thing is, no one really hears it, except you..."_

She zipped her jacket up to her neck. It was so sunny outside, yet so cold. T.K wrapped his arm around her waist, trying to warm her up.

"I guess suggesting a walk wasn't the brightest idea, was it?" He laughed quietly.

"No, it's alright, but I have an idea that'll keep us warm…" She smiled seductively, and leaned closer to him. "Race you to the top of the hill!"

Before he could even make out her words, she was running up the steep, snowy slant. Smiling widely, he followed her, finding it extremely difficult to run through such a thick covering of snow. He looked ahead; she was struggling just as much. She kept falling, not that it mattered; the snow was so high it reached her knees.

Soon enough, he had taken the lead and reached the top. Shortly after, Kari had joined him, breathing deeply and smiling.

"That was a workout." He laughed. Even amidst the coldness, his forehead glittered with sweat.

Kari walked over to a patch of fresh snow, and lay down. T.K watched as she began moving her arms and legs up and down, in and out.

"Help me up. I don't want to ruin it."

He walked over, and swept her up with ease. He stepped back, and they both admired her work. Her snow angel.

_His_ angel.

_"__Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." _

Working in a flower shop on Valentines Day was terrible. It was busy. Line ups of customers, orders to be filled, and flowers to wrap. It was difficult, and stressful, but it did make the day go by quickly, and help Sora rack up some tips.

She was thankful by the time lunch had rolled around, for sales had calmed down and the shop was entirely empty. She pulled her purse out from under the counter, and took out the cream cheese bagel she had brought with her.

"Eating on the job?"

She looked up, to find herself face to face with the most beautiful bouquet of pink and white orchids she had ever seen. She accepted them, and held them up to her face, breathing in the sweet scent.

"Matt, they're gorgeous!" She exclaimed, leaning over the counter to plant a passionate kiss on her husband's lips.

Her husband. Like Mimi, she could hardly believe they were married either. It seemed so surreal. The perfect marriage.

"Thank you so much!"

"Anything for you," He smiled.

"Where did you get these?" She asked. She couldn't stop admiring their beauty.

"That flower shop, right across from the mall."

"Traitor!" She joked.

He laughed, wrinkling up his nose when he did. It was so cute. She loved watching him laugh.

"What time do you finish?" He asked, holding her hand over the counter. He noticed she was wearing last years Valentines gift, a silver band, with hearts cut out of it, as well as her wedding ring.

"I'm off at four." She said.

"Okay, do you need me to pick you up?"

"No, I drove today."

"Alright. I have some things I need to get down.

"Oh, yes! The surprise. Can't I just have the smallest of clues?"

He kissed her on the lips.

"Nope."

"Fine." She pouted playfully.

"I better get going," He smiled at her. "I'll see you at four."

"Okay, bye Matt! Thank you so much, again! They're beautiful."

"Anytime." He turned to walked out the door, but spun back around.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

_"__If you have it [Love], you don't need to have anything else, and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have." _

Mimi had been sitting on the couch, watching the Notebook, when her phone began ringing. She ripped off her blanket, searching for it.

"Where is it?" She whispered to herself.

She dug her hand between the sofa cushions, and pulled out the vibrating BlackBerry. Her phone identified the caller as Tai; she clicked answer and held the phone to her ear.

"Finally! Where have you been all morning?" She asked.

"I had some things to take care of."

"You mean special Valentine-y things?"

He laughed.

"Maybe. Did you like your surprise this morning?"

"Yes! It was wonderful, thank you so much, baby"

"Good. I'm glad you liked it. Now, be waiting outside in five minutes. Dress warmly."

With that said, he hung up the phone. Mimi wrinkled her forehead. She loved surprises and all, but she just preferred them when she knew what the surprise was.

She walked into their bedroom, and opened the spacious walk-in closet. A small section was full of Tai's clothes, the rest of the space belonged to her. The majority of her clothes, just like when she was younger, were pink.

She pulled on a pair of tight, gray jeans and the pink, off the shoulder sweater Sora had bought her for her birthday. She put on her calf-high leather (faux) boots, which were a struggle to pull over the jeans, though, she managed eventually. Then, she put on her leather (also faux) jacket, grabbed her purse and left the apartment.

She reached the lobby, which was covered entirely in Valentines Day décor.

"Good afternoon, Miss. Tachikawa" The doorman said.

"Hello, Sasu!" She said, cheerfully. He held the door for her, and she walked out. The cold was alarming at first, but it felt fresh. She pulled her pink, cashmere gloves from her pocket and put them on.

A moment later, Tai's black Saturn Sky pulled up, and honked lightly. She looked up, and smiled brightly, and got in the car.

"Happy Valentines Day, Girlfriend." He said, leaning over to kiss her softly on the mouth.

"Happy Valentines Day, Boyfriend."

_"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."_

* * *

  
**Valentines Day Soundtrack: **Soco Amaretto Lime (Brand New)


	4. You Make My Dreams Come True

**  
You Make My Dreams Come True**

* * *

Kari threw her head back, laughing hysterically. She looked back at T.K who was brushing snow from his hat. She had just begun a snowball fight. She watched as he bent down, to pack together his own snowball. It was much larger than the one she had previously thrown.

"Kari," he said in mock disappointment, "That was a cheap shot. Throwing a snowball at me, while I was turned away." He held his own snowball up threateningly.

She lifted her arms, to show her surrender.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" She laughed.

"You better run."

She immediately stood up at his words, and began running.

_Wham!_

She felt the small force hit her back. She turned around, only to find T.K smiling innocently.

"Oh, that's it!"

Once more, she bent down and gathered a ball of snow in her gloved hands. She made sure it was perfectly neat and round, and stood up straight. She looked over at her boyfriend, only to see him charging towards her. Within seconds, she found herself, lying on her back in the snow, as he straddled her.

He looked down at her. She was smiling, and breathing heavily. Her soft, brown hair was matted with snow and ice. He bent down, and kissed her passionately on the mouth.

He rolled off of her, and sat in the snow. He pulled something small from his coat pocket, and hid it in his hand.

"What's that?" She asked, sitting up.

He opened his fist, revealing a small, silver key.

"A key?"

He nodded.

"To my apartment." He said. He took her gloved hand, and placed the key inside of it.

"Will you move in with me?"

"_Love... What is love? Love is to love someone for who they are, who they were, and who they will be."_

Izzy Izumi knelt down in the snow, a sad smile on his lips. He held a dozen, long stemmed, yellow gladiolas in his arms. He placed them on the snow before him, fully knowing that they'd die within the hour. It didn't matter.

"Hey, Aimi." He said aloud.

"It's already been two years, but not a day goes by where I don't think of you." He paused to wipe at his watering eyes.

"I miss you so much. I wish you were here with me, Aimi. You used to love Valentines Day. I miss surprising you with flowers and chocolates. I miss holding you, and kissing you."

He leaned forward, and resting his head against the tombstone, his tears free falling from his eyes, onto the snow below. He closed his eyes, and the memories flooded back to him.

**Two Years Ago**

_He was talking on the phone with Mimi, or was it Sora? He didn't remember, but it wasn't important._

_"Today, everything's going to change." He said excitably into the receiver. He paused, listening to what the woman on the other end was saying._

_"She should be home soon," He said. He heard a car door slam shut._

_"Actually, I think she's here now."_

_There was a knock on the door, and he answered it, expecting it to be his girlfriend, Aimi. To his surprise, it was not her. Instead, stood two police officers, both with very grim expressions. He lowered the phone from his ear. His eyes grew wide, thinking of why these two men could possibly be here._

_Was it his mother? His father? It couldn't be them. He had just been on the phone with them not more than thirty minutes ago._

_He couldn't listen to what the officers had been saying. Car accident, he heard one say. His head began spinning, and his breathing became quick and heavy. He dropped the phone, only to hear a woman's calls on the other end._

_He raised a hand to his forehead, and shook his head violently._

_"No, NO!" He shouted. Hot tears had begun streaming down his face._

_"We need you to come down to the station," One of the officers spoke slowly, and calmly._

_"To identify the body."_

_He couldn't. He couldn't look at her. Her tiny, mangled body. He turned away from the officers, and looked at the interior of the house._

_It was entirely decorated. Red, pink and white. He spent the entire day getting the house ready for her. For when she got back from work. He looked into the kitchen, where he could just make out the table, which had been set for a romantic dinner._

_His dropped his arms down to his sides, not bothering to wipe away the tears any longer. He felt his wrist hit something on his sweater pocket. He pulled out a small, velvet box, and snapped it open._

_A beautiful, diamond ring sat in the cushioned interior._

He knew that day everything was going to change.

He just didn't know it would change for the worse.

"_Missing someone you love gets easier everyday. Because, even though it is one day further from the last time you saw each other, it is one day closer to the next time you will."_

"Okay, so where did you say we were going again?" Mimi asked. They had been driving for twenty minutes.

"I didn't say where we were going," He smiled at her. "Nice try, though."

She sighed loudly, and reached to turn the radio on, but stopped. She sat back in her seat.

"Tai, we don't have a song." She said simply.

"A song?"

"Yeah. We don't have one." She thought for a moment. "Like, Sora and Matt! Their song is that one, from that movie!"

"Oh, I know what you're talking about." He said, sarcastically.

She playfully slapped his arm.

"Shut up! That movie! Freddie Prince Jr. Where he, like makes the girl pretty. And the fall in love?"

Tai raised an eyebrow.

"_She's All That_?" He guessed. Kari had made him watch that movie so many times.

"Yes! That one! God, I love that movie…" Her voice trailed off.

He laughed. "You love that movie, but couldn't remember its name?"

"Shut up! Anyways, that song in it, that goes _kiss me, nah nah nah nah nah nah nah…_ Or whatever. That's their song!"

"Okay… What your point?" He asked.

"My point is that we don't have a song! And we need one!"

"So, how do we go about solving this problem?"

"Ah, I have just the answer to that."

She turned on the radio and raised the volume.

"Here's our song."

Tai listened to the song, and smiled.

"Hall and Oates. _You Make My Dreams Come True_. I love this song!"

Mimi watched as he sang along, laughing quietly to herself, she shut her eyes, committing this moment to her memory.

_"Honestly, if you're not willing to sound stupid you don't deserve to be in love."_

Matt unloaded a dozen plastic bags from the back of his black pickup truck. It was nearly three o'clock; Sora would be home in about an hour. He unlocked the front door of their house, and dragged the bags inside. He had a lot of work to do.

He walked into the kitchen, and filled a large stainless steel pot with water. He placed it on the stove top, and turned the heat on.

He grabbed another pot, this time a bit smaller, and placed it on the stove, turning the heat on to medium. He melted some butter, and continued adding in ingredients to make a cream sauce.

As the water in the second pot began to boil, he rummaged through one of the plastic sacs, which had the logo of the local grocers printed on it. He pulled out a package of heart-shaped ravioli, and carefully dropped them into the boiling water.

He turned back to the sauce, and mixed it with a few clockwise stirs. He brought the wooden spoon to his lips, and tasted it.

"Delicious."

"_Love is a language spoken by everyone__,__ but understood only by a heart."_

* * *

**Valentines Day Soundtrack: **You Make My Dreams Come True (Hall & Oates)


	5. I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing

**  
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing**

* * *

He tossed the peeled and deveined shrimp onto the bed of lettuce that sat in the glass bowl. Next, he added in the thinly cut cucumber slices and some avocado chunks. He mixed everything up together, before dressing it with lemon vinaigrette.

He checked the clock radio that sat on the kitchen counter. It was four-ten. She'd be home any minute now. He surveyed the kitchen, and admired his work.

The round, glass table was draped with a silky, white table cloth, and in the center, sat a vase of pale pink and white roses, and two long, thin white lit candles. Two crystal flutes of champagne sparkled in the candlelight, and a pair of pink, glass dinner plates were piled high with the deliciously, mouth-watering ravioli. The pink plates were a wedding gift from Mimi.

"_Every kitchen just needs a touch of pink!"_ He distinctly remembered her saying.

He heard a car door slam, than a moment later the _click_ of the door being unlocked.

"Matt!" She called, as she took off her shoes. "I'm home!"

She removed her coat, and hung it on the back of the chair that sat by the front door. She walked through the front hall, and into the kitchen, where she stopped dead in her tracks. She scanned the room with wide, surprised eyes,before finally laying them on her husband, who had been leaning against the counter, looking pleased with himself.

"Matt," She whispered, stepping closer to examine the table. Everything looked so good! He came up behind her, and put both hands at her waist. She looked back at him, before kissing him on the lips.

"It's wonderful. Thank you."

"_Love... What is love? Love is to love someone for who they are, who they were, and who they will be."_

Kari looked down at the key he had placed in her hand. The silver sparkled in the sun. She closed her fingers around it, and looked up at him. He was smiling, but he looked nervous. He was waiting for an answer.

She returned his smile, and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into him, so their foreheads touched.

"Yes," She whispered.

And the remaining distance between their lips vanished.

"_If you want to experience love, you have to take the risk. Love's always worth the risk."_

He caught her dozing off a few times. He probably should've warned her it would be a long drive. The clock on the dashboard read three-thirty.

"Meems?" He whispered, taking his eyes off the road, to look at his sleeping girlfriend. "Mimi?"

Her still form began to stir, and she fluttered her eyes open, and looked around.

"Are we there yet?" She asked, not before releasing a yawn.

"Just about," He turned off of the main road, and began driving up a dirt path that was lined by leafless trees.

A few, short moments later, he killed the engine, and smiled at her.

"You ready?" He asked, excitement was glinting in his chocolaty brown orbs.

Her eyes sparkled with the same excitement, as she nodded her head, sending her wavy, honey coloured hair, bouncing at her shoulders.

They both exited the car, and joined hands, as they began walking. She took in the surrounding area, imagining how beautiful it would be here in the summer. They walked deeper and deeper into the trees, until several, small, wooden cabins came into view. Mimi let go of his hand, and walked further ahead, before finally stopping.

"This is it." She said practically in a whisper, as she spun around to face him. "This is where we met."

"_When first we fall in love, we feel that we know all there is to know about life. And perhaps we are right."_

She set the fork down on her now empty plate, and wiped at her lips with the napkin.

"That was delicious," She said, smiling appreciatively.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

She stood from her seat, and sat on his lap, kissing his mouth passionately, as her hands ran through his soft, blond hair.

"I have a surprise for you, too" She whispered in his ear, softly.

"Oh yeah?" His voice was just as quiet. "What is it?"

She stood from his lap, and walked towards the living area, and signalled him to follow.

He watched as she opened the small, closet door, and pull out a long, flat, rectangle shaped box, wrapped in glittery red paper. She sat it on the floor, and sat cross-legged, smiling up at him.

"Sit," She told him. And he did so.

"Now," She said, "I don't want you to get angry, or ask about the price. It's a half Valentines, half birthday gift, alright?"

He nodded in agreement, and began to slowly rip off the paper, revealing a handsome, black case, with silver clasps. He undid the clasps, and lifted the lid.

He stared at the black silk interior, and more importantly, what had been lying inside. A beautiful, all white guitar.

He picked it up, and admired it.

"An American Standard Fender Stratocaster." He said, strumming a chord with his fingers. The sound was perfect.

"Do you like it?" She asked, partially nervous.

He raised his head and looked at her.

"I love it."

"_Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage."  
_

Each Valentines Day, the eight of them always got together for a little party.

This is why Joe was currently sitting in his kitchen, surrounded by black smoke, and a garbage can full of blackened heart shaped cookies.

It was his fourth ruined batch, but he didn't understand why. He followed the recipe precisely, and had set the oven to the correct temperature (three hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit) and put them in for the correct amount of time (fifteen minutes).

He was never really good with cooking. So, he grabbed his coat and his car keys and left his apartment.

He drove to the nearest bakery, and walked in. The sweet, warm aroma filled his nostrils, and he sighed delightfully. He strolled up to the pastry counter, and looked through the glass window at the assortment of confections.

He had thought of buying cookies, since his originally plan to bake them had backfired, but now looking at the endless dessert possibilities, cookies just seemed so plain.

"Such a selection, it makes it hard to choose what you want." Said a voice.

He looked up, to find himself facing a beautiful, blonde woman, with brilliant green eyes. She was just a bit shorter than him, with a slim body, still with all the womanly curves.

"Yeah," He said, his voice came out hoarse. He cleared his throat. "I want to buy everything."

The woman laughed. _Such a pretty laugh_, he thought.

"Having a romantic dinner with your boyfriend?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No, no boyfriend. What about you?"

"No boyfriend, either," He smiled.

She playfully hit his arm. "You know what I mean!"

He chuckled softly, "No girlfriend."

She nodded her head, and extended a long, thin arm.

"I'm Samantha." She said.

He took her hand, and shook it. "Joe."

"It was nice meeting you, Joe" She smiled, and turned to accept a white box from a woman behind the counter. She turned, and began walking off.

"Wait!" He called after her, causing her to abruptly spin back to face him. He walked up to her so they were face to face.

"Would you like to go out for coffee sometime?" He could feel his face burning red.

"I'd like that," She said, smiling genuinely. They exchanged numbers, and said their goodbyes.

He walked back over to the counter, and decided on a rather decadent looking strawberry shortcake. He checked his watch, it was only four o'clock. He looked towards the cash register, where Samantha stood waiting to pay.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, and clicked her name. He held the phone to his ear, and waited.

"Hello?"

"Are you free right now?" He turned to face her, and caught her smiling.

"I thought you'd never ask" She replied. She was so corny.

He hung up his phone, and walked towards her. She smiled shyly, as she watched him pay, and together they left the bakery.

With the cake at hand, and this beautiful woman by his side, he thanked his lucky stars that he didn't know how to bake.

_"Love is the expression of simplicity in emotion, the unattainable longing that comes so unexpectedly, with great subtlety and bliss."_

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**Valentines Day Soundtrack:** I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)


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